Nine Things to Know About Gabe Carimi

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Excuse us if we're getting too excited about a draft pick, but Gabe Carimi is exactly what the Bears needed.

Not only is he an offensive lineman who has the skills to shore up a line that allowed the NFL's most sacks, but he is interesting, can talk to the media without problem and will give the Bears a personality they haven't had in some time. Consider:

-- He has all the basics you want in a lineman. At 6-foot-7, Carimi towers over everyone on the Bears staff except the offensive line coach, Mike Tice. He has the accolades that befit a first-round pick: Outland Trophy winner given to the best college interior lineman, consensus All-American and Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year. But he didn't need the awards to prop him up.

-- He spent draft day making a presentation to his professors at the University of Wisconsin so that he can graduate with a degree in civil engineering. He took barbs from teammates over his demanding major and asked classmates to hold study sessions at night so he could balance football and school.

-- Though he grew up on the dark side of the Illinois-Wisconsin border, he had no problem joining the good side. “I had my errors of my way and I sinned and repent, so I’m good now,” he said. “I saw the light.”

-- He was fascinated with building blocks as a boy, and that hasn't ended. During his senior year of high school, he built his parents an elaborate queen-sized bed, and built himself one when he got to Wisconsin.

-- When he had to head to Halas Hall to meet with Bears staff and media after he was drafted, instead of taking the plane the Bears would have surely sent, he made the two-hour drive to Lake Forest. Coincidentally, Lake Forest is where the Bear-to-be was born.